2013 to 2014 NHL Ice Changes

Here we go for another year of comparing the new ice designs to the old ones. This could get ugly!







Anaheim did a nice job with the anniversary logo, but the red line is perhaps the worst use of their primary logo. Perhaps what is most aggravating to me about the red line is that last year they had a very unique design. Why on earth did they think they needed to be like everyone else, and use the Ducks's D in the line which looks awful. Bad Call



Boston had the perfect ice last year. After years of toying with new red line designs, I thought they had finally found the pattern that looked best with their primary logo. Just plain solid red. Though I am not surprised to see them change up the red line yet again, I am more than disappointed with their choice of unoriginal designs. The Bruins logo has appeared on the red line before. It didn't work then; it doesn't work now. Bad Call


Carolina's red line the past several seasons has matched the bottom of their jerseys. A black squares that represent a hurricane warning flag. This summer they unveiled brand new jerseys that replaced those squares with stripes. It appears that once again the red line will match the jerseys as they have switched to a long white stripe down the center of the line. I always wondered how they were ever allowed to use black in their red line. Though it was unique and quite clever, I was never a fan of how it simply made the red line appear darker on TV without really giving a good view of the design. The new red line is fresh, clean, and original. Good Call


Chicago changed their center ice this year. No really, they did. Okay, so just slight changes to the red line. Its hardly worth mentioning but I have to wonder if the subtle change had anything to do with making it easier to see the center dot. Or perhaps someone just didn't know what they were doing. I have no preference either way. No Call


Dallas had nowhere to go but up in my opinion. The anniversary logo wasn't much better than their old primary logo. This year they have a new logo, and a re-branded arena logo which gives the center ice a much cleaner look. Good Call


Florida is sporting a new anniversary logo this season, and though I usually do not like anniversary logos on ice... this one is pretty sharp. It's still not as pleasing to the eye as the large panther though. I prefer their diamond red line but at least they did not put tiny panther logos up and down the line. Whatever happened to the paw prints in the red line. That was also from a time where it wasn't cool to slap logos in the red line. I think its time for the return of the paw prints. Bad Call


Los Angeles is probably going to spark some debate on here. We all expected them to go with this new design back when the "home plate" logo became their primary mark. That did not happen and the rumors were going around that it was because of the difficulty it would create in tracking the puck over center ice. Well if that was the problem at the time, it apparently is not a concern any longer. Personally I liked the old crown at center ice. The home plate is sort of an eye sore. I look forward to hearing from the fans on this one! Nervously I type... Bad Call


New Jersey has had several variations of red line designs in their history. Surprisingly they all involve similar sized and spaced boxes. I have no idea why they keep tweaking them. I think it looked better last year though. Bad Call


Ottawa has a new arena name to show off at center ice this year. Not sure if I like the font or the layout as well as Scotiabank Place. The layout of the text last year seemed to fit the shape of the primary logo and help balance things out. This is a tough one for me... Bad Call


San Jose also got a new arena name, but it sure didn't change the look at center ice much. Not much at all. I think the new look might be just a bit more pleasing to the eye, but the name is not music to the ears. No Call


Tampa Bay has shed its anniversary logo this season to go back to it's primary logo which has not seen that much time on ice since it came into existence. Its not my favorite logo by any means, but it's simplicity is starting to grow on me. It is certainly refreshing to see it back at center ice. Good Call



Vancouver forgot to put their long time faithful red line design in last year. Or perhaps they just didn't bother since at the time the ice went in, they didn't even know if there would be a season at all. This year the diagonal pattern is back and looks as good as ever. Good Call


Now that you have heard my thoughts on the changes, please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts for the community!